Illuminating compact and light source

ABSTRACT

A battery and lamp are mounted externally on a compact and under an ornamental housing that may be integral with the top of the compact and with the end of the said lamp extending beyond the edge of the housing and the case, and an electric switch completing an electric circuit between the lamp and battery and mounted on said housing.

United States Patent 1,552,404 9/1925 Allen Jack D. Jackson 4102 Dauphine St., New Orleans, La. 70117 Jan. 29, 1970 Nov. 9, 1971 Inventor App]. No. Filed Patented ILLUMINATING COMPACT AND LIGHT SOURCE 5 Claims, 3 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl 240/6.45 R, 132/83 R Int. Cl ..A45d42/l0, A45d 42/02 Field of Search 240/645, 6.45 P, 10.67; 132/83 R, 83 F, 83 G References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,288,493 6/1942 Smith 240/645 P 2,386,255 10/1945 Morey... 240/6.45 2,468,640 4/ 1 949 Santilli 240/ 6.45 2,494,375 1/1950 Bates et al. 132/83 R 2,779,344 l/ l 957 Hemmings et al. 240/645 X 3,176,122 3/1965 Heinrich 240/645 P 3,3 30,949 7/1967 Bush 240/6.45 P 3,576,989 5/1971 Schwartz 240/645 R X Primary Examinerbouis R. Prince Assistant Examiner-Frederick Shoon Attorney-James B. Lake, Jr.

ABSTRACT: A battery and lamp are mounted externally on a compact and under an ornamental housing that may be integral with the top of the compact and with the end of the said lamp extending beyond the edge of the housing and the case, and an electric switch completing an electric circuit between the lamp and battery and mounted on said housing.

PATENTEDunv 9 \sm 3.619.596-

46 48 FIG. 2.

INVENTOR,

ATTORNEY ILLUMINATING COMPACT AND LIGHT SOURCE The invention relates generally to small cases having illuminatable interiors and more particularly to a concealed illuminating source mounted exteriorly on a small case or enclosure.

l'leretofore, for convenience, illuminating means have been mounted inside small enclosures, taking up restricted space and affecting and being affected by the contents of the enclosure.

It is an object of the invention to provide a small enclosure or case with illuminating means mounted on the exterior thereof for lighting the interior when the case is opened for use, said illuminating means being also used for any local illuminating need.

It is another object of the invention to conceal the illuminating means in an ornamental housing that can be integral with the enclosure.

Other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the below specification, claims and drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view from above and from the rear of the invention,

HO. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along section lines 2- 2 of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a perspective view from above and from the front of the invention with its top open.

In the preferred specie of the invention (see FIGS. 1-3), a battery housing 28 is moulded integral with the case top 30 that is connected to the case bottom 32 by a living hinge 34. The housing 28 extends beyond the case top 30 to define a cavity 36 in which a lamp mounting 38 is fixed. The housing 28 has an openable top, for changing batteries 10, that is closed by a sliding cover 40. The rear of housing 28 is open and a cylindrical switch 42 is mounted for rotation therein. Contact 44 is a metal bar fixed in the cylinder that is of nonconducting material of the switch 42 and is adapted to connect and disconnect the adjacent ends of the batteries when manually rotated respectively clockwise and counterclockwise as shown in H6. 8. The case bottom 32 has an extension defining a cavity 46, complementary to cavity 36, that encloses the lamp 16 in the lamp mounting 38 when the case is closed. When the case top is open, the lamp is protected by a guard 48, and lights when the switch 42 is rotated. Direct light from the lamp illuminates objects directly in front of it, diffused light is reflected from the mirror 50 mounted in the interior of case top 30 to illuminate the interior of case bottom 32.

lclaim:

1. An improved illuminating compact and light source comprising in combination: a pair of cylinders of equal circumference, each said cylinder having round sides and oppositely disposed ends, one said end closed and the other end open; connecting means integral with said round sides at corresponding sections thereof for hingedly connecting said cylinders with their open ends coinciding and round sides contiguous, and for said cylinders to swing apart with round sides normal; first housing means, having a rectangular space part and a rounded cavity part, mounted externally and in line on a closed end of one of said cylinders, said rounded cavity part extending opposite said hinged part and radially beyond the circumference of said cylinder and axially to its open end; a second housing means mounted on the round side of said other cylinder and extending radially beyond the circumference thereof and adapted to coincide inversely with the rounded cavity part of said first housing means and complement said part; electric power means mounted externally of the compact in said rectangular space part for providing electric power; illuminating means mounted externally of said compact in said rounded cavity part of said first housing means for illuminating said compact when open and for use in illuminating other objects in the vicinity; and switch means, operable to complete an electric circuit between said illuminating and power means, mounted in an open end of said rectangular space oppositely disposed from said rounded cavity kn improved illuminating compact and light source as described in claim 1 wherein said first housing means rectangular space part comprises: parallel sidewalls moulded integral with and diametrically across the closed end of said one cylinder and normal thereto, said walls defining an open top and end, another opposite end merging into said rounded cavity part, said open top for gaining access to the interior of said rectangular space part, said walls respectively defining opposed parallel grooves adjacent their free edges; a flat plate sliding cover adapted to fit into said grooves and slide to close said top of the rectangular space part; and an end closure combined with said switch means mounted for partial turning in the open end of said rectangular space part, said turning being around an axis transverse to said walls, thereby causing said switch means to make and break the electric circuit.

3. An improved illuminating compact and light source as described in claim 1 wherein said first housing means rounded cavity part comprises: inwardly extending projections moulded integrally with said cavity part and adapted to engage and hold against lateral movement an end of said illuminating means; and an annular guard means adapted to snap into and over said rounded cavity part and around an end of said illuminating means spaced from said first-mentioned end for holding against movement and protecting said illuminating means projecting from said rounded cavity part.

4. An improved illuminating compact and light source as described in claim 1 wherein said electric power means comprises: a pair of penlight size dry cell batteries, respectively having positive and negative terminals at their respectively oppositely disposed ends, said batteries being adapted to fit side by side in said rectangular space part with adjacent terminals being positive and negative, one pair of differing terminals being in adjustable on and off contact with said switch means, and the other pair extending oppositely into contact with said illuminating means.

5. An improved illuminating compact and light source as described in claim 1 wherein said illuminating means comprise: a lamp mounting adapted to fit into said rounded cavity part and mounted therein, said lamp mounting having projecting terminals adapted to electrically engage said electric power means; and a lamp operationally mounted in said lamp mounting means for lighting when said switch means is operated.

I i i I! 

1. An improved illuminating compact and light source comprising in combination: a pair of cylinders of equal circumference, each said cylinder having round sides and oppositely disposed ends, one said end closed and the other end open; connecting means integral with said round sides at corresponding sections thereof for hingedly connecting said cylinders with their open ends coinciding and round sides contiguous, and for said cylinders to swing apart with round sides normal; first housinG means, having a rectangular space part and a rounded cavity part, mounted externally and in line on a closed end of one of said cylinders, said rounded cavity part extending opposite said hinged part and radially beyond the circumference of said cylinder and axially to its open end; a second housing means mounted on the round side of said other cylinder and extending radially beyond the circumference thereof and adapted to coincide inversely with the rounded cavity part of said first housing means and complement said part; electric power means mounted externally of the compact in said rectangular space part for providing electric power; illuminating means mounted externally of said compact in said rounded cavity part of said first housing means for illuminating said compact when open and for use in illuminating other objects in the vicinity; and switch means, operable to complete an electric circuit between said illuminating and power means, mounted in an open end of said rectangular space oppositely disposed from said rounded cavity part.
 2. An improved illuminating compact and light source as described in claim 1 wherein said first housing means rectangular space part comprises: parallel sidewalls moulded integral with and diametrically across the closed end of said one cylinder and normal thereto, said walls defining an open top and end, another opposite end merging into said rounded cavity part, said open top for gaining access to the interior of said rectangular space part, said walls respectively defining opposed parallel grooves adjacent their free edges; a flat plate sliding cover adapted to fit into said grooves and slide to close said top of the rectangular space part; and an end closure combined with said switch means mounted for partial turning in the open end of said rectangular space part, said turning being around an axis transverse to said walls, thereby causing said switch means to make and break the electric circuit.
 3. An improved illuminating compact and light source as described in claim 1 wherein said first housing means rounded cavity part comprises: inwardly extending projections moulded integrally with said cavity part and adapted to engage and hold against lateral movement an end of said illuminating means; and an annular guard means adapted to snap into and over said rounded cavity part and around an end of said illuminating means spaced from said first-mentioned end for holding against movement and protecting said illuminating means projecting from said rounded cavity part.
 4. An improved illuminating compact and light source as described in claim 1 wherein said electric power means comprises: a pair of penlight size dry cell batteries, respectively having positive and negative terminals at their respectively oppositely disposed ends, said batteries being adapted to fit side by side in said rectangular space part with adjacent terminals being positive and negative, one pair of differing terminals being in adjustable on and off contact with said switch means, and the other pair extending oppositely into contact with said illuminating means.
 5. An improved illuminating compact and light source as described in claim 1 wherein said illuminating means comprise: a lamp mounting adapted to fit into said rounded cavity part and mounted therein, said lamp mounting having projecting terminals adapted to electrically engage said electric power means; and a lamp operationally mounted in said lamp mounting means for lighting when said switch means is operated. 